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Tai Lung
thumb|300px|right Species: Snow Leopard Combat style: Leopard Kung Fu Voice actor: Ian McShane Summary: Tai Lung is the villain and the primary antagonist in Kung Fu Panda. Tai Lung was adopted and trained under Master Shifu, who believed that he was destined to be the legendary Dragon Warrior. But Tai Lung revealed his dark heart when denied the title he desired. He rampaged through the land and as a result was locked in the Chorh-Gom prison for 20 years. While plotting in jail for that period of time, Tai Lung's Kung Fu had evolved, and his inner rage had taken over. Escaping, he made his way back to the Jade Palace in an attempt to take what he thought was rightfully his, but was prevented by the real Dragon Warrior-- and was eventually defeated by the Dragon Warrior's legendary Wuxi Finger Hold. thumb|right|350px|Tai Lung's Past History Tai Lung was found by Master Shifu as an infant, wrapped in swaddling cloth at the threshold of the Palace gates. Moved with compassion, the red panda decided to adopt the cub and raise him as his own, bestowing on him the name 'Tai Lung', meaning 'Great Dragon' ''in the hopes that this would be the legendary Dragon Warrior foretold by prophecy. As a youngster, Tai Lung showed talent in the art of Kung Fu, and it became aparent that the cub was nothing short of a prodigy. Shifu became even more convinced that this was a sign that the leopard was the legendary warrior, and trained him in everything that he knew. Over time, Tai Lung grew proud and overly confident in the assumtion that he was to become the greatest warrior China would ever know-- even though Tai Lung had mastered the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu at an impressive young age, that wasn't enough... Shifu believed him to be the Dragon Warrior, so it must be so, in Tai Lung's mind. It was this overwhelming pride and lust for power that alerted Grand Master Oogway that there was darkness in the young leopard's heart... and therefore Tai Lung could never be the Dragon Warrior. Outraged, Tai Lung laid waste to the Valley of Peace, cutting a swath of destruction in his fury before charging back to the Palace, to try and take the Dragon Scroll by force. Master Oogway and Master Shifu were both waiting for him in the Sacred Hall of Heros where the scroll was kept, and Shifu charged, meaning to stop Tai Lung once and for all. However, the aging Master hesitated, unwilling to strike a leathal blow to the one he still considered a son. Tai Lung, still infuriated that Shifu had sided with Oogway's decision in the end, did not hesitate to shatter the red panda's hip and knock him aside, leaping for the scroll... only to be halted in his tracks by Oogway, who jabbed multiple pressure points in the leopard's chest, blocking his Chi and knocking him unconcious. There was nothing left to be done-- Shifu bowed to Oogway's wishes and helped oversee the construction of the ominously impressive Chor Gom Prison, located in the frigid outskirts of Mongolia. Carved right out of the mountain, the prison was made especially for Tai Lung-- filled with many walkways and traps, with only one way in and out for the entire prision. In the deepest part of the prison, Tai Lung was chained and fitted with a restraining tortise shell, with various accupuncture needles in crutial places along the leopard's back, keeping his Chi blocked and making him almost fully immobile. Leaving him under the supervision of commander Vachir and his guard, known as the Anvil Of Heaven, Shifu and Oogway parted ways from Tai Lung, leaving him to searve out the rest of his days in the prison as punishment for his crimes against the citizens of the Valley. Twenty years passed by, Tai Lung's seething rage only growing and intensifying as the time passed. There were no visitors to the prision, but one day someone new did appear. A messenger goose by the name of Zeng arrived, carrying a messege from Master Shifu to Commander Vachir: orders to double the guard, so that security would be tighter than ever before in response to a vision of Tai Lung's escape that Master Oogway had. Commaner Vachir only slapped Zeng on the back (knocking a few feathers loose from the poor bird), boasting that he had everything under control and that escape from ''this prison was impossible. He went as far as to show off how the mighty snow leopard was 'completely immobilized', even when taunted with the infuriating bit of information that Oogway was now going to choose the Dragon Warrior at long last, and that warrior would not be Tai Lung. Leaving him, Vachir and Zeng had no idea that one of the molted feathers knocked loose by Vachir had fallen by the snow leopard's tail... and that with his still mobile tail he could use the feather to pick the intricate lock and free himself from his restraints. Pick the lock he did, and once freed from the restraints Tai Lung now posed a terrible threat to the Anvil Of Heaven, who scrambled to try to stop the criminal with everything they had. Driven by his insatiable fury, Tai Lung proceeded to brutally decimate the guards as he made his way up the levels, the battle climaxing in a standoff at the bridge at the door level. In a last attempt to outsmart him, Vachir ordered the bridge to be destroyed by setting off the explosives attatched to the roof of the prison, causing falling chunks of rock the size of boulders to smash into the walkway Tai Lung was standing on. Thinking quickly, Tai Lung rapidly leaped from rock to falling rock, finally reaching the last bundle of explosives that had yet to be set off-- and tossed it in the midst of the guards as it exploded, blasting open the heavy doors and taking care of the remaining guards and Vachir. Catching hold of the hapless goose outside, Tai Lung ordered Zeng to fly back to the Jade Palace with a message of his own: 'The real Dragon Warrior was coming home'. After letting Zeng go, he set out to return to the Jade Palace, to exact his revenge on those he felt wronged him and to gain the Dragon Scroll he had been denied. Traveling across China at top speed, Tai Lung finally met up with the famed Furious Five at the Thread of Hope, a rope bridge that served as the only passage through the mountains. He wasted no time in confronting what he recognized as Shifu's newer students, first taking on Master Tigress and then the rest of the Five in an effort to get past them. Due to the cunning of their teamwork Tai Lung was nearly defeated by the them, but utilizing cunning of his own he managed to outsmart them, using what was left of the now destroyed rope bridge to swing up and behind the startled team. He complimented them on what they had learned from Shifu, but stated that he hadn't taught them everything as the snow leopard proceeded to block everyone's chi except for Master Crane, who he left alone so he could transport the other four back to the Jade Palace as an additional warning to the Dragon Warrior and Shifu: he could defeat the five strongest warriors in the land, and he was coming for Shifu and 'Po' next. When he finally arrived at the Jade Palace, the whole valley had been evacuated, leaving only his old Master left to confront him at the palace steps. Master Shifu's reception of his one time student and son was cautious and cool; and enraged Tai Lung finally attacked, not only demanding the scroll but finally unleashing his wounded pride felt at his original 'rejection', screaming accusations and demanding to be told how proud Shifu was of him as he battled his aging former master. It was with the last disabling blow that Shifu finally cracked, telling the leopard that he was proud of him-- too proud in fact, and that his pride blinded him to what Tai Lung was becoming before it was too late. The red panda offered a sincere and heartfelt apology, hoping that Tai Lung would stop his quest after the ultimate power that wasn't his to start with. Tai Lung hesitated, seeing that Shifu did still love him and was pround of what he had been, but he ultimately hardened his heart, proclaiming that he wasn't after an apology-- he still wanted 'his' scroll. Looking up, he saw that the scroll was missing-- he'd been had. Furious, he nearly killed Shifu in order to get him to tell where the scroll was, but was inturrupted by a shout from the entrance... coming from a tubby giant panda holding the Dragon Scroll. Incredulous, Tai Lung tossed Shifu aside, charging when Po challenged him to 'come and get it'. Knocking the panda down the thousand steps, he fought Po for possession of the Dragon Scroll, only to be outsmarted and outdone at every turn. Tai Lung gained the upper hand when he slammed Po into the ground, stunning him long enough to allow Tai Lung to grab the scroll and open it at long last-- -- only to find it was blank! When he questioned the panda, Po told him that there was no special power in the scroll itself-- "It's just you." Spent from his travels, the grueling fight with the Furious Five, Shifu, and Po, Tai Lung tried to defeat Po once and for all in a last effort born out of frustration. The chi blocking punches and jabs didn't seem to work however, due to Po's excessive body fat,(Which seemed to tickle Po in the proccess) and the panda finally bested the beaten snow leopard with the the usage of the legendary Wuxi Finger Hold, sending a golden wave of energy rippling across the landscape. It is unclear if Tai Lung was killed or if he just went away into hiding after being defeated by the Dragon Warrior. Leopard Fighting Style The traditional leopard style relies on the enormous upper body strength-the fighter crouches, remaining low to the ground.Tai Lung uses brute strength,speed, and agility, all ruled by a cunning mind-a master of all styles,he can pin point and exploit weakness while facing many opponents , as witnessed when he defeated the Furious Five with relative ease . Note: He has so far surpassed that of the Furious Five (and even Shifu, due to his former Master's age) in both power, quickness, and speed but despite all this he couldn't defeat Po in battle; most likely because he underestimated him just like the Furious Five and (maybe in the slightest bit) Shifu as well, which led him to his humiliated downfall. Personality Tai Lung has shown to be dark, cynical, and overall evil in nature. In the past when he was raised and trained by Shifu he seemed to be a happy, well known spunky little snow leopard with much dedication to the arts of Kung Fu and was viewed as a great Kung Fu prodigy in the eyes of Shifu and many other people in the land. When he completed his training and Master all 1,000 of the Thousand Scrolls, he was seen as a strong hearted individual with obvious fierceness and strength in both his eyes and body. His ever growing pride Oogway found to be his corruption that finally bubbled to the surface was the reason that Tai Lung was not made the Dragon Warrior, which was his aim in life. Trivia In Secrets of the Furious Five, Tigress was adopted by Shifu, thus making her and Tai Lung adoptive siblings. Tai Lung seems to appear in Kung Fu Panda Legendary Warriors. so it might hint that he is still alive. When Tai Lung taunts Po he asks "What are you going to do, big guy sit on me? Unfortunately in their battle Po DOES sit on him directly on his head Category:Characters Category:Kung Fu Panda Category:Kung Fu Panda Movie